A/N: Couldn't help myself in this chapter…had to do it…don't understand? You will see why….be sure to read the recap at the end! :D though this is a filler (and then some), Im actually pretty happy with it, I hope you are aswell! Took me a day or two to plan! FLUFF!

(7)

"Walking through a dream, I see you.

My light in darkness, breathing hope of new life.

Now I live through you and you through me, enchanting…

I pray in my heart that this dream never ends."

~ " I see you" by Leona Lewis (from James Cameron's 'AVATAR')

His primal appearance frightened her….

His breathing was heavy, his eyes were latched onto hers…she could see the mixture of negative emotions behind them…

"Alice..." He hissed, but it wasn't a vicious hiss. It was…pleading… "Please…don't…r-ru-" He started to hack and snarl as pain shot through his body. He could feel his muscles tearing as his limbs tried to stretch to a longer length. He cried out in pain and flung himself onto his knees, digging, clawing, kicking and punching at the ground out of reflex to the agony coursing through his body right now.

He was wild…mad…

Alice took a few steps back. Part of her wanted to run, the other wanted to stay and help him…she diddnt know which one to listen to. She was afraid…the safety she felt around him was completely shattered at the violent display she had just witnessed. She diddnt know if it was safe to approach him or not…or even touch him...

With one last cry, Hatter collapsed, breathing heavily. His head was turned towards her, his eyes just barely open enough to make contact with hers.

"A-a-li-ce…" He stuttered, reaching out to her…

She ran.

Soft light pierced his eyelids and roused him from his sleep. As he came to, he became aware of his surroundings…the tall grass brushing against his face, the cold breeze stinging his skin, the pain and tension in his muscles. His eyes cracked open slightly, which he quickly shut again as the light shocked his eyes. He waited few seconds before opening them again. It took him a minute to adjust and register his surroundings. This definitely wasn't their camp…

Where was the camp?

Wheres the horse? Wheres Alice?

Alice!

He sat up quickly, and just as quickly regretted doing so as pain surged through his ice cold, aching body. He growled low in his chest as he hugged himself and rubbed his arms fiercely, desperate for some form of warmth to get his blood flowing the right way again, but he diddnt have time to just sit around and warms himself up…Alice was gone, and he had to find her.

Forcing himself to stand, he bit his lower lip hard enough to almost draw blood as is frozen muscles stretched themselves out, biting harder with each cautious step he took. Moving…that's what would help, he had to keep moving, get blood flowing…but it hurt so damn much!

"Alice!" He called as he limped his way through the tall grass, "Alice! Where are you!" While walking, he stumbled across his hat. It was beaten and torn, and no longer wearable. He stared at it sadly and ran one hand through his wild hair where his hat once was, missing the feeling of it…

With a heavy sigh, he dropped it and continued his search. There was something much more important to attend to than his beaten up hat.

He searched for what seemed like hours, calling and calling with no response. He began to grow afraid that something might have happened to her…

"Alice! Alice please answer me! Where are you! Are you okay?! Alice!" His desperate call was answered by the distant whinny of a horse.

Hopeful, he broke into a run in the direction of the sound, ignoring the pain in his legs and forcing them to pump as fast as they could without stop until he found the source of the sound…and he did. There she was, sitting all by her lonesome by a small creek with the horse beside her. He gripped his chest in relief as he approached her, "oh thank god…Ali-"

"Get back!" She roared suddenly as she whipped around, barrel of a gun pointed straight at him. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide with shock, "Alice? I don't understand."

"Don't come any closer!" She cocked the gun, "or I swear I'll shoot!"

Hatter was confused, and hurt by her actions. What was the matter with her?

He held out his hands to her, "Alice, it's okay. It's me. It's Hatter."

"You lied to me!" She roared in response.

"Lied? How could I?" he was shocked by her accusation…how could he ever lie to her?

"I saw what you're becoming, Hatter! I saw it last night! I saw you looking at your back the other morning! That thing scratched you diddnt it?! It infected you! Now you're one of them! You're one of those things! How do I know I can trust you now?! How do I know you're not leading me into some trap?! Who are you really, 'Hatter'?!!"

He winced at the sarcastic tone in her voice as she said his name…but that diddnt hurt him as much as losing her trust did…

'so she saw it…' he thought to himself as he fixed his gaze onto the ground and ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably and sighed, "I should have told you sooner…but I diddnt want to frighten you upon meeting you. I was hoping to get this whole thing over and done with before I ran out of time so that you would never have to see it." His eyes found hers once more, "Alice, I'm still me…I'm still the same guy….and I would never do anything to hurt you. I made you a promise to get you home safe and sound and I'm a man of my word. Whether you trust me or not, I'm going to get you home."

"How do I know you're not lying!"

"look around you, Alice. Havent you noticed that the further we get, the brighter it becomes? Do you not remember last night? These valleys, which have not sung in who knows how long, were singing again!" He exclaimed as he gestured to their surroundings with aching, shaky arms.

Alice lowered her gun slowly, but did not take her hands off the trigger. Her eyes remained locked on him…just in case…

Hatter took a step towards her, "Look…I know what you may have seen last night scared you…trust me, I'm even scared of myself…but infected or not, I would never dream of hurting you. You believe that don't you?"

She stayed silent as he took a few more steps toward her, but still kept a respectable distance, "I care about you, Alice…and I'm sorry I kept this from you, I truly am, but you understand why I did don't you?"

Alice dropped her weapon to her side and turned herself away. She wanted to believe him…she wanted to trust him…but something inside her stopped her from doing so. All her life, she has always had an issue with trust. She has always been backstabbed and lied to, and as a result, she became a very untrusting person…

But there was something about Hatter…in just 2 days time, she was ready to trust him with her life….but he still lied to her. He was one of those things…she cant trust him.

But she wanted to. For the first time in her life, she is willing to entrust her life with another person…

Her mind wandered to last night…the way he held her in his arms, the sincere look in his eyes…the way he kissed her, so gentle it was as though he thought she might break. There was so much care and sincerity in that one kiss, enough to make her knees buckle even now as she thought about it. They had just met and yet it felt so natural to the both of them…

Alice hugged herself, trying so hard to ignore the seemingly endless war inside of her, with no avail.

She heard a sigh from behind her, followed by a pair of warm hands on her shoulders. Alice shivered at the contact but made no attempt to pull away. "Alice," His voice was gentle and patient, "please don't push me away…right now I'm all you've got…and you're all I have." At this last statement, Alice turned slightly to look at him with one blue eye. Hatter felt his heart flutter with hope as she finally made eye contact with him, somewhat. A small smile appeared on his face as he continued to speak, "I promise, I would never do anything to hurt you…I would no sooner hurt you than myself…do you believe me?"

Alice turned completely to face him…his hands never left her shoulders.

"What's going to happen to you?" She finally said. Hatter was a little disappointed that she avoided his question, but chose to push no further…if he was going to gain her trust back, it would have to be with patience and space…and a lot of it.

His hands slid off her shoulders and to his sides as he pondered her question and how to answer it…

What WAS going to happen to him? Though he acted fine, his body was in so much pain, and he was dizzy and fatigued…he was becoming more sensitive to the sunlight as time went on, and he was getting sicker the more he fought it off…

What was going to happen? Did he still have time?

The temple shouldn't be that far from here…he should be okay for a while once they reach it.

"I've still got time," He finally said, "Once we reach the old temple, I'll be okay. Remember how I said there was a cure? I'm sure he will know…" Hatters voice was confident, but the look in his eyes weren't…

He was lying to her again. She knew she couldn't trust him…

She turned away and walked towards the horse, already saddled up and ready to go, "We should get going then…if what you say is true, of course." She diddnt mean for it to sound as cruel as it came out, but it made both their hearts clench in pain. Hatter sighed heavily and looked down. He could feel his heart breaking, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Still, though…despite his heartbreak, he had to keep his promise. He was a man of his word, and he was determined to show Alice that he can be trusted, that he meant everything he said, and that his kiss was no lie…

He took his place behind her on their horse and reached around her to grip the reins. He felt her shiver as his arms brushed against her sides. She was cold, and he wanted nothing more than to sit much closer to her and offer up his warmth, but he figured it would be best not to…patience and space, patience and space….

With a kick, the horse started forward.

The ride was uncomfortably silent…

They could hear the sound of waves crashing against rocks, gulls cawing in the distance. Hatters newly sharpened senses picked up the sweet aroma of sea water minutes before Alice did. "The ocean?" She asked incredulously. "Were here," Hatter responded, much more solemnly than cheerful. The day felt much warmer, the sun was brighter, and the world was lively…but despite all that, Hatter couldn't help but feel nervous. As the neared the top of a steep hill, Hatter pulled the horse to a stop and dismounted. "Stay here," He said to Alice. "Why?" She responded, her tone defiant. Hatter looks up at her, his gaze as stern as his voice, "I'm going to go down first. If its safe, I'll call you."

"I thought you said-"

"Nevermind what I said! This is the most sacred place in the land, and the people will fight to protect it…they will kill their own families if it means protecting this place." He gestured down the hill towards the ruins of a once, ancient temple. Alice had to pull the horse slightly forward to see it…it was a magnificent structure, even crumbled. The protective walls around it had been destroyed through time. Tombs of ancient rulers lined the sides of the cobblestone walkway leading straight into the temple itself. The marble walls gleamed in the sunlight, and atop the structure stood the form of a rearing stag, its intricate antlers made of solid gold. The stag looked as though it had been untouched by time. The Temple itself sat at the edge of a shallow cliff overlooking the vast ocean. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Please," Hatters voice ripped her away from the wonder before her. His voice was much softer now, "I want to make sure its safe…these days, we cant be too careful, even here. Just stay put for now…I will call you down once I know its okay." His voice was very gentle and sincere…even after the way she treated him and spoke to him that morning…

Alice hesitated, then nodded, and with that as his cue, Hatter turned and headed downhill.

Alice watched him as he slowly approached the ruins, taking steps as light as possible as to not make any unnecessary noise. He almost looked like a cat on the prowl, the way he moved so slowly, the way his eyes scanned in every which way. Even his ears were alert, she noted, the way he stopped and listened every now and again. He was very animalistic in the way he moved, listened, and stopped to smell the breeze for any alien scents…she knew it had to be because of the infection, turning him into one of those beasts. Instincts long dead in the human mind seemed to resurface in those who were infected…and this was very clear in Hatter as she watched him now.

He disappeared behind the ragged curtain covering the entrance to the main temple itself. The wooden doorway was destroyed, she could see by the planks of wood that lay around the entrance…this curtain was slightly worn, but did very well at shielding the inside of the temple from the elements.

She waited nervously, her eyes never leaving the doorway, hoping to see him emerge again. She didn't like being out here by herself…especially with what happened the night before, she knew she couldn't be safe, even here.

A minute passed, then two. Her heart began to pound. Was something in there? Did it grab him?

Something was wrong…

Taking hold of the horses reins, she was just about to spur the horse into a run when Hatters familiar form emerged unharmed from the temple much more confidently than when he went in. He waved at her, signaling her to come down, and she readily obliged.

He ran to meet her halfway and took the reins from her hands, leading the horse to an area by the temple where he could tie the creature up. Alice helped him unsaddle and unpack, careful not to make too much of a mess. She kept everything neatly organized by one of the broken walls. There would be no need to build a fire tonight, they would be sleeping indoors for the first time since her arrival.

"Alice," Hatter called to her, turning her away from their materials. He had a smile on his face, "come on. Let me show you around…" Alice walked towards him with a small smile of her own, much to his surprise.

With a hand gently rested on her lower back to guide her, he showed her around the ruins, painting an elaborate picture for her with his words on the history of their world and how everything came to be, who these ancient rulers resting on these grounds were, and why they were so famous. Most of the script engraved into the marble was in an ancient language, and Hatter surprised her by translating this ancient tongue…and speaking it himself.

"This place," He said as they walked towards the main temple, "they call it 'Makatok'…it is a name in the native tongue of the child whos dream started all of this….it means 'it was said long ago'. It was how they begun to tell all of their grand tales…this place marks the beginning of a very grand tale, hence its name."

Alice chuckled, "You're a skilled storyteller." There was that prideful smile again, "I try."

As they approached the entryway to the great marble building, Alice stopped dead in her tracks…it was dark behind that curtain…her distrust began to resurface again. As if sensing it, Hatter wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to him, "It'll be okay."

"Whats in there?" She asked, more distrusting than she would have hoped, but it didn't phase him. He only held her tighter, "just hold on to me, I'll be right here." To his surprise, Alice slipped her arm around his waist. She was actually listening to him? Was she trusting him again? He hoped so…

He opened the curtain all the way to let in some of the late afternoon sun. The main room lit up with sunlight, exposing the intricate designs and paintings on the wall, illustrating the history of Wonderland. The room was much larger and much taller than she had expected, large enough to comfortably accommodate a few hundred people. On the floor was the image of a rearing stag, much like the statue at the top of the temple. A steep staircase lead up to a solid gold altar. Behind the altar was the image of a tree branch, crowned by three golden leaves. Alice had to resist reaching up to her shoulder to touch the mark stained into her skin…

There were two doors behind the Altar and one beside the staircase, but they didn't bother exploring that side of the temple yet…for now, they were too busy admiring the artistic beauty around them.

There were lanterns lining the walls…but she knew those would be lit later when it got darker. Right now, there was no need to waste fire while there was sunlight.

"Its almost as if time hadn't even touched this place…" Hatter said in a soft tone. He looked down towards Alice with a gentle smile, and she smiled back.

That night after filling themselves with leftover Jackelope, Hatter lit a few of the lanterns in the temple. Not enough to completely illuminate the entire place, but enough to provide a dim lighting and comfortable warmth…

While sitting in a corner by the stairway, Hatter entertained Alice with old stories while they both sipped a much needed cup of soothing tea he cleverly brewed over one of the burning lanterns. Alice was amazed at Hatters way with words, the way he could paint an elaborate image in ones mind so they could see exactly what he sees and how he sees it…He was very energetic aswell, and often had to stand up and pace while he told a story, his arms adding emphasis to most things as well as his voice.

" 'You betrayed me!' The cat exclaimed 'how could you! we made a promise!'", Hatter said as he settled himself down to finish his final story, " But no matter what the Dog said in return, nor how many apologies he made, the cat would not listen. In a fury, the cat ran away and quickly, the dog followed…" He stopped to take a sip of his tea before concluding his story, "And still, to this day, the Dog chases the Cat in hopes that the Cat will forgive him and be his friend once again."***

"Wow," Alice said, "Where did you hear that story?" Hatter took another sip from his tea before answering, "Me mum used to tell me that story all the time when I was a boy. It was my favorite." He finished off is tea and set is cup aside, watching Alice as she did the same. She yawned widely, clearly exhausted from the days events. Hatter quickly removed his jacket and folded it into a bundle. "here," he said as he handed it to her, "rest your head on this…it'll be much more comfortable." Alice was taken aback by this sudden chivalrous act...so much so that she hesitated on taking the jacket. "It aint gonna bite ya, love, 's just a jacket," He said with a chuckle. She reached out, their hands brushing as she took hold of the jacket. Both their hearts fluttered at the contact…

Her hands were so soft, and his…so warm…

She couldn't bring herself to remove her hands, shivering slightly as he began to softly stroke her fingers with his own. His fingertips softly caressed her hand then started making their way up her arm, stopping at the crook in between her shoulder and collarbone where the pattern of three leaves stained her skin…two fingers shyly hooked themselves around the collar of her shirt before he stopped.

He looked to her for any sign of wanting him to stop. When he saw none, he gently pulled at her collar until he revealed the mark as plain as day on her smooth, fair skin. He softly touched the larger leaf in the center, tracing it with his fingertips. Alice watched him as he did so, loving the feeling of his hand on her skin much more than she thinks she should have…

"Alice…" He said softly, tracing his fingers over her collarbone, "I'm sorry you had to get mixed up in this whole mess…I truly am…" His hand finally found her face, gently stroking her cheek for a few brief moments before he pulled his hand away.

"It's okay," She said, just as softly, pulling herself closer to him. Her hand reached up to brush a lock of hair behind his ear, "I got some good out of it."

"what would that be?" His heart was pounding in his ears right now…he didn't know what she was doing to him, or why, all he knew was that he liked it.

"Finding you…" Her hand pulled his face toward her own, but Hatter stopped just as their lips brushed. "Alice, I-" He began but was quickly silenced by her finger and a gentle "shhhhh", followed by her hand on the side of his neck, "I trust you, Hatter..."

Without hesitation, his hand slipped behind her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss like neither of them have ever experienced. Alice had never felt so helpless and dominated in her life, but with Hatter, she knew it would be okay…she knew that if she asked him to stop, he would do so in an instant, and so she made no attempt to resist him.

They soon found themselves on the ground, Alice on her back with her head on Hatters jacket with Hatter above her on his hands and knees. He stopped quickly and looked down at her…

Both of them knew all too well what would come next if they kept going…but Hatter refused to go any further if she didn't want to take it that far just yet. "Alice…" He whispered her name in between breathless pants. Alice stared up into his eyes, her hands gently running over his strong chest. "I know…" She said in response, seeing the question burning behind his eyes, "Its okay, Hatter…I trust you completely." He smiled down at her and she could see the love and adoration for her in his eyes…so much so it made her feel weak. Words were no longer needed…at least not now.

He bent down to press a gentle, loving kiss against her lips.

She trusted him...she trusted him!

He couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy…he couldn't recall any time in his life where a woman laughed in his arms so genuinely, and he came to realize that he loved it. He loved hearing her laughter, because it meant she was happy aswell…and what made it even better was that she was happy because of HIM…because of something HE did right.

They lay together afterwards, stretched out on the warm floor, her back to his front, his arms wrapped warmly and protectively around her. She was dressed in her pants but his long sleeve silk shirt. He didn't mind letting her use it…in fact, he found it quite adorable that she wanted to borrow something of his. He was wearing his pants, his long black jacket the only thing shielding his bare skin from the open air.

Hatter sighed into her hair as he held her, loving how nicely she fit against him, as if their bodies were shaped specifically to fit against eachother…

He held her tighter and sighed again, "I love you…"

Alice gasped lightly at his words and turned to face him. She could see it in his eyes that his words were no lie, nor were they an exaggeration…She has never seen so much love in someone before…she didn't even know it was possible to have that much love for someone….

But it was…because looking at him now, staring into those handsome brown eyes, she knew that she felt it too…

She pressed a soft kiss against his lips, "I love you too…"

***(a fable, 'Why the Dog chases the Cat'. For the full story, PM me, I love telling stories myself :D )

A/N: Had to do it! HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO it was knowing at the back of my wee li'l mind! I just had to get it out! Will I write the "missing" part? Dunno yet…maybe…depends…

The next chapter is gonna nosedive back into the storyline. I got quite a few things planned for the next one…but for now I just had to get this baby out of me before I exploded. Please R&R!

Love you guys!

~RWD